Alastair Cook’s self-belief begins the evolution of a new England side

Alastair Cook, right, and James Anderson brought India to their knees in this Test series. Photograph: Jed Leicester/Action Images

At Headingley, on 23 June, the fourth day of the second Test between England and Sri Lanka, Angelo Mathews, and his support act Rangana Herath, added 149 for the eighth wicket, a partnership which elevated the visitors from a position in which they were odds-on to lose, to one where even if it was at the very last ditch, they were able to complete a memorable win and so clinch the series. England were hapless, utterly bereft, more so than at any time during the winter. It was painful to watch. This was as low as things could go as the wheels detached themselves from the chassis.

Fifty-five days on from that, on a sunlit afternoon at the Oval, the tail-ender Ishant Sharma spooned a gentle catch from Chris Jordan’s short ball to complete an England victory so overwhelming – an innings and 244 runs – that only twice in their history have India suffered a worse humiliation, and not in the last 50 years. It followed wins by an innings and 54 at Old Trafford and by 266 runs at the Ageas Bowl which completed a transformation of fortune which even by England’s own dizzying standards has been extraordinary in such a short space of time.

We can look for a single, pivotal instance when things changed for the better, but to do so would ignore the work that has gone into turning things around as far as they have (which is to say that this is the end of the first phase of the redevelopment of the England team). Credit must go to Alastair Cook, to Peter Moores and the selectors.

The England captain’s playing record alone tells of a character of immense resilience, to which can be added the courage of his convictions, and it is not necessary to agree with all or any of them in order to admire that trait. He is utterly respected by his team which, when it comes to cricket, is rather more important than being respected by anyone else.

Moores has been unafraid to inject new blood and has been rewarded for that faith by the new players’ ebullience. As the summer has progressed they have gained a freedom and confidence to their play that they had lost. Of course it comes in no small part from winning, but there is cause and effect too.

So where did the fortunes begin to turn? Perhaps in the conversation that Cook had with his wife Alice in the aftermath of that appalling day in Leeds, when even he admits he was close to the end of his tether and considering resigning. If that reaction is understandable then it would have been misguided and Alice obviously gave him wise counsel: the captaincy was not impacting on his batting but the other way round. Mike Brearley has said how hard he found it to energise on the field when not scoring runs. In deciding to stick it out, he would have sought the backing of all concerned, including each and every one of his team.

Gradually the team started to gain consistency. Cook made better use of Anderson and Broad, keeping the spells shorter, and reaped the reward from one of England’s best-ever partnerships. He discovered he could have confidence in Moeen Ali’s bowling, who responded by winning him a Test.

There was some good fortune: in winning the toss and making good decisions; and also, at Old Trafford, in losing it. The lack of the umpire decision review system affected both teams but rebounded more on India than it did England.

The manner in which India lost focus with their ill-judged tangential campaign against Anderson unquestionably impacted on their performance at the Ageas Bowl, with MS Dhoni a distracted man. Did that contribute to the way in which he attempted to sit on the lead gained at Lord’s by his defensive team selection? The continued selection of Ravindra Jadeja over Ravichandran Ashwin was inexplicable.

It is Jadeja who can be credited with what many may view as a defining moment, when in the third Test he dropped a catch offered by Cook when he had made only 15. We can only hypothesise what the outcome for Cook and England might have been had that been held. The captain might have made that elusive hundred in the second innings, or it might yet again have chipped away at him. But once Cook had scored those first innings runs, century or not, he was able to exert himself in the field. And it is considerably easier to captain a side well when you are not on the one hand having to bowl the opposition out, while on the other trying damage limitation in chasing a game. Cook’s decision-making improved dramatically as the series progressed but he was in a position to be more adventurous, his bowlers were performing magnificently, and there was always the expectation of a wicket against a side that donated one for every 30 balls or so delivered during the final three Tests.

What Cook and England have done is lay down the foundations for the future of the team. The order has changed. This team will evolve now, although we must wait until next April before there is a chance to see how. It may be argued that India performed inadequately and so were not a true test for England, but surely that is what happens when you outplay someone. Few were describing them as inadequate as they humiliated England at Lord’s. This is a vibrant young developing England team on the right track but with bigger challenges to come. For now, though, they haven’t done too badly.